Movie News

Friday, June 7, 2013

The Purge
has an interesting concept ripe for satire and/or social commentary.
Once a year, during the government sanctioned “Purge,” all crime
(including murder) is legal for a 12-hour, overnight period (that means
no emergency services either) – so basically like a Hunger Games
for criminals and revenge seekers. Thanks to this one terrifying night,
where people run around like wannabe assassins and horror movie
villains, the year round crime rate and other unsavory aspects of
society (like unemployment, etc.) are at all-time lows.

By 2022, The Purge
has been in effect for a few years after being put in place by a group
calling themselves the “New Founding Fathers” (who are, of course, the
only ones completely protected against harm). The Purge is designed to
serve as a catharsis for American citizens, giving them a chance to vent
all negative emotions and express dark impulses.

But this, like most things, all boils down to money. Wealthy people
can afford protection – security devices, gated neighborhoods, and
ultimately modifying their homes into fortresses – whereas the poor,
especially the sick, weak, and/or homeless, are basically left
defenseless and fodder for those so inclined and looking to release some
culturally accepted carnage.

With all the exposition out of the way, we meet the Sandins – a
well-off family of four who should have nothing to worry about during
The Purge – but then there would not be a movie, would there? In fact, the
father, James (Ethan Hawke),
is a home security salesman (quite the lucrative business in these
times, no doubt) coming off of his most profitable year, which
essentially makes him akin to a war profiteer. The wife, Mary (Lena Headey),
is seemingly well-liked and normal, as are their children – the
quasi-rebellious teenage daughter dating the slightly older boy and the
quiet, sensitive loner son with a fascination with electronics. So you
would think unquestionably safe, right . . .

. . . Nope. For a seemingly normal, suburban, well-to-do family they
sure have made quite a few enemies. The most pressing of which arrives
midway through the night in the form of a young, well-dressed,
well-spoken, well-mannered (except for all the killing), and clearly
demented mob of masked revelers, eager to partake in their newly
ordained right to “hunt.” When one of their targets, a homeless (though
he appears rather agreeably dressed and extremely healthy/fit) war vet
(never mentioned explicitly, but he is wearing dog tags) escapes their
clutches, they doggedly track him to Sandin's home where he was
foolishly granted asylum by the oversensitive young son.

C'mon kid, really?

So now the Sandins, who wholeheartedly support The Purge as long as
it never comes close to their doorstep, are faced with a serious moral
dilemma. They can harbor the stranger and risk their own lives or
release an innocent man into the arms of a bloodthirsty gang (who wear
creepy masks for some reason despite the fact that their actions are
technically legal). It does not help the situation that they cannot find
the mystery man now loose in their house because he, like any sane person, is hiding and aided by the fact that the electricity has been cut by those waiting outside. (Also, why
do they not have an impenetrable safe room? Seem like a glaring
oversight for a home security expert.)

But somewhere in the midst of the movie, the normally calm and semi-pompous Ethan Hawke
turns into a fully capable action star (perhaps a Liam Neeson-like
rebirth for the actor in action movies). Eventually, after nearly
everyone makes one terrible, life-threatening decision after another,
the events erupt into a very violent and bloody extended sequence that
leaves many dead. The movie then twists and turns into a largely
appropriate and satisfactory finale.

Of course, this movie would have been over in 5 minutes if Liam Neeson had shown up.

The main problem with The Purge (the film itself, not the
horribly flawed annual event depicted in the film – that would be a much
longer review) is its inability to maintain a singular focus. Does it
want to be a thriller or horror? And what underlying commentary is it
actually trying to get across? A more inclusive exploration of The Purge
(just general logisitcs really, like what do hospitals do?) and the
intriguing, but forgotten "New Founding Fathers" would have been more
interesting.

Oh yeah, we hadn't thought of that . . .

It also does not help that film is composed of mainly formulaic beats
and predictable twists. The premise is extremely promising, but the film
timidly tiptoes through it – deciding to rely on proven horror/thriller
formula rather than break new ground and providing any real substantial social commentary.
Having said all that, The Purge is still better than expected
and largely enjoyable, plus at a brisk 86 minutes, the movie never
outstays its welcome – it just could have been so much more if it had
not taken the easy way out.